One Kings Lane Edition
As a designer, there's no getting around how fast our minds design a room. We see an interesting piece of furniture, art, fabric, a beautiful rug...whatever it is that really peaks our interest... we can't help but create a whole room around that one piece. As I was poking around the internet for a job, I found a sofa I fell in love with on One King's Lane. Not that I need a new sofa, but it was a show stopper for me. So I wondered if I could design a whole room around this one piece with products only found on OKL. An hour later, here's what I found.
I know that this is a very basic sofa with a super common profile. I am a sucker for anything with wheels. And that single bench just looks SUPER comfy. But the icing on the cake here is it is GREEN! And I love color on my furniture. As soon as I saw it, I pictured a small apartment in a city with a small living room and a fireplace. Somewhere where your life fits in 900 square feet. It's cozy, and intimate, and doesn't need much to pack a punch.
I easily found four pillows I would toss on this beautiful beast.
If it was me, I would raid my pillow stash, but I wanted to show you that you could find everything you need on one site. What I like about OKL is how collected it feels. When I first started designing rooms, the norm was to buy all your pieces from one collection at one store. Today, most people prefer a more collected look, one that shows they were intentional and patient in finding all their pieces over time.
Next, I looked for some side tables.
This is where I started to wander a bit. I liked all three of these pieces and they each shift the direction I would go in design wise. I found myself wanting to check other sites for pieces I love to finish out this space, but the challenge was to get everything from one place.
I tackled a coffee table next, and realized that if this was a design board for a client, I would have to pick a specific side table in order to know what direction I was going in with the coffee table. Budget is always a consideration in projects but, again, here it is not. So I found these two beauties.
I decided on a side chair pretty fast, but the table for those chairs took a bit more time. While this table is cool, the truth is I don't ever see myself spending that much money on a piece I could DIY. So for now, with no budget, here's what that looked like.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and I had to find the right paint color. OKL doesn't sell paint (as far as I know). So I looked at some of my favorites, and added a couple I haven't tried yet. Of course, I would wait for the sofa to get here before I decided something that tricky. I envisioned a room that was layered in rich color, and would likely go in the direction of a monochromatic scheme. Green on green. Because I actually love colorful, dark, moody rooms. Yes, there is a simplicity to a neutral white room with touches of wood and black and caramel leather. I think that is the perfect style for a warmer climate. A small apartment? A room this rich with color would stand out as something thoughtful, imagined and purposeful. And that is the style I find myself drawn to these days.
*A note for going dark in a room. It really isn't about how big or small a room is. It is about how much light it gets. The master I just did was a creamy white, and I was itching to make it darker. Then I got the shades in and installed and the whole room went dark. I got the black out screen on the back, and it did it's job! I knew in that moment that a dark paint would decrease the size of the room considerably. The problem was that I had made so many other design choices based on the assumption I would be painting a dark color in the room (light dressers, light bedding). I am not crazy about "accent walls". I guess I feel like you should go bold on all four walls or not at all. So I painted a half wall. It was a compromise that looks dramatic when you walk in, but doesn't darken the room too much because you don't see it when you are in the bed. It was a good compromise. Similarly, the master I did in last January had a floor to ceiling window. It is actually smaller than the one I just finished, but I used Studio Green in there and it was perfect. The amount of light really is the key to knowing if you should go dark or not.
Next, I went in search of a rug. This was so much harder than I thought as there were so many choices that were a lot more affordable than I expected them to be. I landed on this stunner.
When I looked for some lighting, I found myself wanting to go to another site because I know what's out there and what would be PERFECT in this space. However, it didn't take long to find some unique pieces on OKL.
With green walls, I thought this piece might be a designer's dream to style somewhere in the room.
As for art, I have a pretty good collection already. I have photos that my husband and daughter have taken that I love. My other daughter is an artist, and has created a couple of pieces for me that I love. We have inherited other pieces. Over the years I have collected quite a stash of pieces and frames that I would use to fill this room out. If you are just starting, OKL can help you get to that curated look pretty easily. And it will look like you scoured yard sales for months to get just the right look. Here's the one I would pick for this space.
The pieces above would help to break up all of the green, which is the key to styling a dark room so it doesn't feel overwhelming.
In the end, here are the pieces that won out.
And here is the breakdown of the cost:
Sofa $2,795.00
Side Table $515.00
Coffee Table *No Longer available
Etageres $1999.00
Lamp $735.00
Chandelier $2289.00
Rug $1425.00
Pillows $555.00
Collection of Art $2195.00
This room would easily be over $17,000. For some people, that is a great price for a curated and collected space. For some (like me) that would be my entire budget for the whole apartment-bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen! And that is okay. We do what we can with what we have. So hope you liked this post of "If I had a Million Dollars...OKL edition".